Transcribing tape-recorded intervie

Transcribing tape-recorded interviews into text is a process that remains relatively unexplored. Poland discusses at length some of the issues that can interfere with the accuracy of transcribed data. Transcribers often have difficulties capturing the spoken word in text form because of sentence structure, use of quotations, omissions and mistaking words or phrases for others. Because people often speak in run-on sentences, transcribers are forced to make judgement calls. The insertion of a period or a comma can change the meaning of an entire sentence. When working with audio data, most experienced researchers listen to the audiotape while reading the transcriptions to ensure accuracy during interpretation. This issue is complicated and deserves further exploration if transcriptions are to be used.